A train manager from Mumbai has gone viral after sharing a glimpse of her physically demanding daily routine. In an Instagram video, Priyanka Shaktivel Mudaliyar, a train manager with Central Railway, offered social media users a rare look into the ground realities of railway operations. Dressed in a white shirt and carrying a backpack, she recorded herself walking along uneven tracks near a railway yard, with freight wagons and long stretches of rail lines visible behind her.
She explained that she walks between 15,000 and 18,000 steps daily, noting that it is not just her but the entire operating department that puts in similar physical effort. While some may assume railway staff have an easy job with opportunities to sit, she pointed out that many employees spend their entire nine-hour shift on their feet, including those who work directly on the tracks.
Reflecting on her journey, she admitted her perspective on railway functioning has changed since joining the system. She recalled how she once complained about delays and overcrowding, often questioning why trains ran late. "I used to always tell my dad, ‘Railway does not do this, railway does not do that. My trains are running late. But once I've seen how it actually functions on the inside and for one train to start from its starting junction, there are so many departments and so many people involved in it, and it is more complicated," she said.
She urged commuters to be more patient when trains are delayed, highlighting the scale of coordination and physical labour involved.
"So let me show you something. As you can see what is behind me, I have already covered the distance that you can see. I'm zooming in, but I still can't show you the point till where I'm supposed to be walking because it's quite far. But, yes, uh, and this is what we walk on. This is still a much better path. Imagine it is still winter, but imagine having to walk all, like, you know, this distance during summer and, worse, during monsoon," she added.
"Immense respect for my fellow operating cadre staff," the video was captioned.
Watch the video here:
Since being shared on February 20, the video has garnered close to four lakh views, prompting strong reactions online. Many railway employees said they resonated with her message and appreciated the spotlight on the unseen efforts behind daily train operations.
One user wrote, "I used to think about the same about the govt bank but things change when i actually joined one. Understand your problem. Staff ,administration and infrastructure is a huge issue is public service."
Another commented, "Struggle is there everywhere. Faujis standing and walking on hot desert, snow, swamp. Many private companies, people do deliveries whole day in rain, heat, cold. People stand and work 12 hours in a warehouse. Life is not so easy ma'am."
"During monsoon ,during summer irrespective of season there is a department of railways that's the engineering department walking kms and kms daily through these tracks," a third said.
"Thanks for appreciating the Undeclared Efforts running staff contribute for a safe, secure and punctual journey," added a fourth.
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